Oxygen converter apparatus



Oct. 1, 1968 w. BRILL OXYGEN CONVERTER APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1962 IYNVENTOR William Brill ATTORNEYS Oct. 1, 1968 w. BRILL OXYGEN CONVERTER APPARATUS 2 Sheets$heet 2 Filed June 1 1962 [III/III INVENTOR William Brill United States Patent 3,403,898 OXYGEN CONVERTER APPARATUS William Brill, Pueblo, Co!o., assignor to CF & I Steel Corporation, a corporation of Colorado Filed June 1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,453 1 Claim. (Cl. 266-36) This invention relates to oxygen converter apparatus for steel making, and especially to improvements in such apparatus for the purpose of protecting the floor on the sides of the converter from excessive heating and other deterioration caused by the falling of chunks of the hot incrustation or deposit of slag and steel which builds up on the charging mouth of the converter, and which separate therefrom and fall onto the floor during the turning of the converter towards the steel pouring position and towards the slag discharge position.

In accordance with the invention I provide two groups of heavy teeth mounted in stationary position and projecting close to the path of the rim of the charging mouth of the converter as it is turned on its horizontal trunnion bearings. The hot incrustations of slag and steel which form around the rim of the charging mouth are brought into engagement with these groups of teeth. One group is located on the right of the upright position of the converter which is the converting position. The other group of teeth is disposed on the left of the vertical position. By turning the converter in one direction a part of the deposit can be removed by one group of teeth, and the converter is then turned in the opposite direction, and more of the deposit is removed by the second group of teeth.

The invention will be described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawings in which,

FIG. 1 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation showing a converting apparatus including the improvements of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the converter in a different position;

FIG. 3 is also similar to FIG. 1 and shows the converter in another position;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view drawn to an enlarged scale, of the group of slag removing teeth at the right of the converter; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of this same group of teeth.

The converter is mounted to turn on a horizontal axis by means of conventional trunnions in bearings (not shown). The converter has a circular charging mouth having a conventional circular rim 12. A steel pouring spout 13 is arranged at one side of mouth 12 and is shown at the left. Also at one side and shown at the right, is a charging chute 14 which is mounted on means (not shown) to move it into position to charge scrap iron or steel.

Converter 10 is in the upright position, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, during the converting process and in this position the charging mouth is directly beneath a stack 15 which carries away fumes and the products of combustion from the converting operation. Arranged at the center of this stack 15 there is a vertical pipe 16 called a lance from which oxygen is delivered under sufficient pressure to penetrate into the body of molten iron in the converter so as to convert the iron into steel.

The converter 10 is located in an opening in the floor which for convenience will be designated as parts 18 and 19. At a lower level and extending beneath the converter is floor 20 on which a carriage 21 travels for moving the ladle 22 into position for receiving steel. When it is desired to discharge the converter 10 it is turned on the trunnions 11 in a counterclockwise direction, as

Patented Oct. 1, 1968 viewed in the drawings, to pour the steel out of spout 13 into the ladle 22, as shown in FIG. 2.

After the pouring is finished, converter 10 is turned in the opposite or clockwise direction until the mouth is tilted to the position shown in FIG. 3 to discharge the slag which is formed on the surface of the steel during the conversion process into any suitable slag receiver, such as the ladle 17.

In accordance with the invention a group of heavy teeth 24 is arranged at the approximate level of floor 19 and project towards the converter 10 close to the path of the rim 12 as the converter turns about its trunnions 11. In order for the teeth 24 to have sufiicient strength and ruggedness to withstand engagement with the incrustations of steel and slag on the rim 12 of the charging mouth, they are required to be of extremely heavy construction and advantageously can be made of steel or cast iron billets approximately 4 x 4" in cross-section and of conventional billet length.

The billet teeth 24 are secured in a support which is both rigid and rugged. This may comprise, for example, a vertical cast steel support 25 (FIG. 4) having a broad base section 26 which rests upon a box girder 27 made of suitable steel shapes. The forward portion of base 26 also rests upon a heavy steel plate 28 in front of girder 27 and vertically beneath the steel support 25. A shelf 29 extends forward from the front surface of support 25 and is spaced from the upper edge of this casting by the thickness of the billet teeth 24.

These teeth rest upon shelf 29, being separated from one another by spacers 30, and the teeth are welded, as shown for example, at 31 to both the shelf member 29 and the spacers 30. The rear ends of teeth 24 are arranged in abutting relation to the extension of support 25 above shelf 29. In plan view, the forward edges of teeth 24 are arranged, preferably, in a curved formation as shown in FIG. 5 to approximately correspond to the projected curvature of the charging mouth rim 12.

A second group of heavy teeth 32 is arranged at the level of floor 18 at the left of converter 10, these teeth being in all respects similar to the teeth 24 and supported in a similar way.

In the operation the converter 10 is first turned to the position shown in FIG. 1 to receive a charge of molten iron from a ladle and then the charging chute 14 is brought into position to charge the scrap iron or steel. This charge consists principally of molten cast iron and any desired percentage of steel scrap. After receiving the metal charge and slag-forming material the converter is turned to the upright or converting position with the mouth beneath stack 15 and oxygen is charged through lance 16 for an appropriate length of time.

After the conversion has been completed, the converter 10 is turned until its steel discharge spout 13 has reached the pouring position shown in FIG. 2 and the steel is poured into ladle 22. The teeth 32 which are on the floor part 18 scrape off the incrustations on one side of the converter mouth rim as the converter is turned to and from the pouring position.

After the steel pouring is completed the converter is turned in the reverse direction through the upright position and to the slag pouring position of FIG. 3. The slag is discharged through the mouth of the converter, and some slag and steel are frozen on the rim 12 of the charging mouth and incrustations are also formed from the fumes and materials spewed out during conversion due to the violent reaction with the oxygen. The accumulated material is scraped off as the converter rim passes over the teeth 24.

I claim:

1. In an oxygen converter apparatus, a converter having a discharging mouth and a discharge spout, the converter being mounted to be turned about a horizontal axis from charging position to converting position and to steel discharging and slag discharging positions respectively, a floor having an opening therein in which the converter turns, groups of teeth mounted in stationary position at opposite sides of the floor opening and projecting close to the path of the charging mouth, and a horizontal support, below the floor level on which the teeth are mounted, the groups of teeth being disposed deposited on the charging mouth when such charging mouth is moved to the latter two recited positions.

References Cited UNITED near the charging mouth to engage and dislodge material 10 JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN OXYGEN CONVERTER APPARATUS, A CONVERTER HAVING A DISCHARGING MOUTH AND A DISCHARGE SPOUT, THE CONVERTER BEING MOUNTED TO BE TURNED ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS FROM CHARGING POSITION TO CONVERTING POSITION AND TO STEEL DISCHARGING AND SLAG DISCHARGING POSITIONS RESPECTIVELY, A FLOOR HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN IN WHICH THE CONVERTER TURNS, GROUPS OF TEETH MOUNTED IN STATIONARY POSITION AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FLOOR OPENING AND PROJECTING CLOSE TO THE PATH OF THE CHARGING MOUTH, AND A HORIZONTAL SUPPORT, BELOW THE FLOOR LEVEL ON WHICH THE TEETH ARE MOUNTED, THE GROUPS OF TEETH BEING DISPOSED NEAR THE CHARGING MOUTH TO ENGAGE AND DISLODGE MATERIAL DEPOSITED ON THE CHARGING MOUTH WHEN SUCH CHARGING MOUTH IS MOVED TO THE LATTER TWO RECITED POSITIONS. 